Until My Dying Day
by read-all-about-itgoil
Summary: (REVIEW-PLEASE-REVIEW)Jack promised Hope he would love her until his dying day...even after, and he meant it. Now Jack is alone, and fighting for revenge and the life of the girl he loves.
1. There he was again

Author's Note: Ok...whew! Finally able to start my second fanfic. I wanna say an extra thanks to **Brunette**, **ilovecherries123**, **LadyRach**, and **ducks-go-quack-00** for reviewing my first story _"Baby It's Cold Outside"._ I had a lot of fun writing that one, but then had a total writer's block afterwards. So I'm finally able to write another story. Hope you all enjoy!

read-all-about-itgoil

Disclaimer: I do not own Jack from newsies (too bad) but I do own Ice and Hope from this story, and any other non-Newsie characters I make up in future chapters of this story. I also do not own the story outline of the movie _"Ghost"_ (great movie by the way if you have never seen it!) This story is just kind of based on that movie.

* * *

There he was again. Always in the same spot. Always waiting for closing time at Medda's.

Ice leaned against a brick wall and took a long drag of his cigarette in the cold December weather. He had his grey coat wrapped tightly around him, and a pair of gloves with no fingers on them. Ice could handle the cold weather though. That's how he had gotten his nickname. Jack had found him huddled under a bridge one day while selling papers. His hair, eyebrows, and clothes were covered in frost and ice.

After rescuing him, Jack and Ice became the best of friends, and Jack appointed Ice as his right-hand man in his reign of Manhattan. Little did Jack know that Ice had an even colder heart than his name.

So there he was again. Waiting for her to exit Medda's.

"Bye Medda! See you tomorrow"

Ice looked up to see Hope wrapping her coat around herself and placing a scarf around her neck.

"Hello gorgeous…what's new?" Ice asked in a big-shot manner.

"Nothing new with you Ice. I told you we were finished a long time ago" Hope replied sharply, and she began walking away.

Ice grabbed her wrist and pulled her back quickly. "How's bout something for the road?" he asked with venom in his voice. He pulled Hope into a rough kiss. Hope frantically pushed him away from her and slapped him hard across the face. She looked at him with pure disgust.

"I can't believe you Ice!" she yelled. "I can't believe you're betraying Jack like this! I'm with him now, not you! I never want to see you standing outside of Medda's again. If I do, I will have to tell Jack and the authorities. Goodbye Ice."

Ice stood there face to face with her. He replied with a smirk "You'se think that you'se can get rid of me just like that? Well baby, you'se got another thing comin."

"Ooo. What are ya gonna do?" Hope asked getting right in his face.

"Oh you'se just wait baby. When we were together I told ya's I'd never leave ya. I certainly can't break a promise now can I?"

"But we're not together anymore Ice" she snapped back. She was tired of this stupid game he was pulling. "I'm with Jack, and if that irritates you because you two are friends, well then that's your and Jack's problem, but YOU leave me alone." She left it at that and walked away.

"Oh your right baby. I guess it its Jack and my problem." He began walking back to the brick wall, and he lit another cigarette. "Guess I'm just gonna have to fix this problem."


	2. His name speaks for his heart

**Author's note: WHEW! Writer's block sucks! I was supposed to update this story like a week ago and just couldn't think of anything to write. I hope you all had a great Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/etc. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I opened up _NEWSIES_ on dvd Christmas morning! I was soooooooo happy. Haha..anyhoo...**

**I would like to say a special thanks to my first reviewer on this story: Sparks Kelly. And I'm terribly sorry for my crappy summary on this story (just FYI...it might change a couple times as the chapters in this story increase)So here it finally is...Chapter 2! Hope ya all enjoy...and I hope ya all review! (Please...I would really like to hear what you all have to say)Thanks!**

**readallaboutitgoil **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jack (sad isn't it?...) but I do own Hope. And as I said in the first chapter I do not own the story line to the movie "_Ghost_". Enjoy...

* * *

Jack was nervously tossing back a forth between his hands a small blue box. He had never been more nervous in his life. Then again, he had never loved someone more than he loved Hope. 

He slowly opened the box to reveal a small but stunning ring. It was a simple gold band with a diamond about the size of the head of a pin. The diamond was embedded in the middle of the band, and on the back were the words engraved "Until my dying day." He admired the sparkle of it and couldn't believe he had actually been able to afford it. He had put almost all of his life savings into it.

Jack heard the doorknob on his door start to twist, and he frantically shut the box and hid the ring under his mattress. He saw Hope walk through the door with a look of disgust on her face.

"Hello gorgeous. How was another day at Medda's?" Jack asked. Hope didn't answer. She was completely oblivious to anything he was saying.

"Hope?..." he tried again. Nothing. "Hope! What's going on?" Jack walked up from behind her and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. Hope was so startled she whipped around and accidentally smacked Jack right in the nose. Jack grabbed a hold of his nose and Hope gasped as blood began dripping through Jack's hands.

"Oh my God Jack! I'm so sorry! Quick sit down, and I'll be right back." Hope quickly ran to Jack's bathroom and grabbed a small towel. She walked back into the room and handed the towel to Jack.

Jack gratefully took the towel and held it to his nose. He couldn't understand why Hope was so jumpy.

"I'm sorry Jack…I…I don't know what's gotten into me tonight" Hope lied. She couldn't stop thinking about Ice and his frequent nightly visits to Medda's. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? They hadn't been together in years and Hope was now the girlfriend of Ice's best friend: Jack.

"Maybe I'm just tired" she said. "Medda has been working us all really hard lately." Hope slowly walked over to the bed and laid down on top of the covers. She thought she heard something creak under the mattress, but then decided it was just because the mattress was old.

Jack walked into the bathroom with the towel still at his nose. He turned on the water in the sink and rinsed the blood out of the towel.He looked at his reflection in the mirror and noticed a stream of blood from his nose to his chin, and quickly washed it off and set the towel on the sink.

He walked back into the room and was surprised to see that Hope was no longer in the room. Jack walked to the door and looked down the hall. She was no where to be found.

"Where the hell did she go?" Jack asked himself. The quiet sounds of crying came through Jack's window, and Jack knew exactly where Hope was.

* * *

Hope sat on top of the cold roof gazing at the stars. Her entire body felt numb, and the only thing shecould feelwas the warm tears that spilled down her cold cheeks. "_I just want him to leave me alone!_" she thought. "_Jack doesn't know…I should tell him. He needs to know about Ice and me. It's not right to keep a secret like this away from him especially when it involves his best friend, and I love Jack. I love him more than life itself. He needs to know…Jack..._"

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jack climbing on top of the roof. Hope held her knees to her chest as Jack came and sat down next to her.

"Awfully chilly up here. Ain't it?" he asked with a small laugh, but his smile faded when he saw Hope. He'd never seen her so upset about something before. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders and pulled her close. Hope wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and buried her face into his chest as she cried.

"Hope…Hope please. Please just tell me what's wrong" Jack pleaded as he ran his hands through her hair. Hope lifted her tear stained face and looked up at Jack.

"Jack…I have something…well…something rather important to tell you" she stammered. "It's about Ice."

"What about Ice?" Jack asked. "Is he hurt somewhere? Did he hurt someone else? Please Hope just tell me!"

Hope sat up straight and took Jack's cold hands in hers. "Jack…I love you. I love you more than anything in the world, but I haven't told you something. Something that's part of my past…"

Jack looked confused. "What does this have to do with Ice?"

Hope felt the tears beginning to build up inside her eyes. "W…well when you first introduced me to Ice…well I…I already knew him. He and I were together for about two years…"

Hope let a few tears fall. She felt disloyal to Jack, but she had to continue with her story.

"He's not a nice person, Jack. His name speaks for his heart. His cold..icy heart. He…he raped me Jack…he raped me damnit, and I never told anyone what he did to me until now. I couldn't tell you because he is your good friend, but he's not who you think he is, Jack. He's not a good person, and you and the other newsies wonder why he never comes back to the lodging house until after midnight. It's because he's too busy stalking me at Medda's. Please forgive me Jack for not telling you!"

Hope's head hung low as she sobbed. How could she have kept this from Jack for so long? She should have told him the day he introduced Ice to her.

Jack sat there dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend for so many years was not the type of person he claimed to be. Jack's blood boiled at the thought of him laying a finger on Hope.

Hequickly stood up and helped Hope to her feet. He held her tightly and said "He's gone... I'm throwing him out tomorrow."

"No Jack!" Hope cried. "He'll know I told you, and he'll come after me! Please Jack don't!"

"Do you expect me to sit here and let the best friend I've had for years get away with this?" Jack yelled. "I can't let him hurt you again Hope! I can't let him hurt anyone else!"

"Please Jack!" Hope pleaded. "I know you think that's the safest thing to do, but trust me on this one. You don't want to make Ice angry with you…I'm surprised he hasn't killed me already. The only thing I'm asking of you is that you keep me and yourself safe."

Jack held Hope's face in his hands. "I just can't do that" he calmly said. "I can't let him get away with something like that. As the leader of the Manhattan newsies, I need to make sure everyone is safe at all times. I can't have Ice around here if he's a threat to you. If anything else ever happened to you, I would never forgive myself…"

Hope sobbed into Jack's chest again. "Please Jack. If something ever happened to you, I would be hurt worse than if Ice raped me again. Just promise you love me and you won't do anything to put yourself in danger."

Jack lifted up Hope's face from his chest and kissed her gently on the lips. "I do love you Hope. I will love you until my dying day."

Hope kissed Jack again, and Jack wrapped his arms around Hope's waist. As the passion in their kiss grew the snow slowly began to fall opon them.


	3. A plan and a proposal

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hey everyone! Man oh man! I can't believe how long it has taken me to update this story. I can't stand writer's block. Oh well...all that matters is that I finally have chapter 3 up! Special thanks to my one and only reviewer **Sparks Kelly**!!! Luv ya tons for reviewing!!!

On that note...I know you reader's out there have comments burning inside. Why not share them by reviewing my story? Haha...please people! I don't like to beg, and I would really love to know what you all think! Hope to here from more of you!

Luv ya all!  
readallaboutitgoil

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Jack or any of the other Newsie characters that might appear later on in this story, but I do own Hope, Ice, and possibly Bruno and Ruby (sorry if someone else used those tow characters in another story. I'm very forgetful!) Enjoy!

* * *

Previously... 

"_**He's gone... I'm throwing him out tomorrow."**_

"_**No Jack!" Hope cried. "He'll know I told you, and he'll come after me! Please Jack don't!"**_

"_**Do you expect me to sit here and let the best friend I've had for years get away with this?" Jack yelled. "I can't let him hurt you again Hope! I can't let him hurt anyone else!"**_

"_**Please Jack!" Hope pleaded. "I know you think that's the safest thing to do, but trust me on this one. You don't want to make Ice angry with you…I'm surprised he hasn't killed me already. The only thing I'm asking of you is that you keep me and yourself safe."**_

_**Jack held Hope's face in his hands. "I just can't do that" he calmly said. "I can't let him get away with something like that. As the leader of the Manhattan newsies, I need to make sure everyone is safe at all times. I can't have Ice around here if he's a threat to you. If anything else ever happened to you, I would never forgive myself…"**_

_**Hope sobbed into Jack's chest again. "Please Jack. If something ever happened to you, I would be hurt worse than if Ice raped me again. Just promise you love me and you won't do anything to put yourself in danger."**_

_**Jack lifted up Hope's face from his chest and kissed her gently on the lips. "I do love you Hope. I will love you until my dying day."**_

**_Hope kissed Jack again and Jack wrapped his arms around Hope's waist. As the passion in their kiss grew the snow slowly began to fall upon them.

* * *

_**

"Oh Hope…too bad I already know ya told Jacky-boy"

Ice jumped down from the ladder that leaned against the lodging house. He laughed as he walked down the cold snow covered street.

"No worries about getting rid of me Cowboy. You won't hafta stand by and watch me hurt people. You won't hafta see Hope get hurt, and don't worry about Manhattan…I'll take good care of it. It's funny…you can hear a lot when your just sittin on a ladder right next to the lodging house, eh Jacky-boy?"

* * *

Ice reached Queens about an hour later. He searched up and down the streets for the familiar dark alley. Finally he found it. Down the alley was a large wooden door. Ice stood in front of the door recollecting what he was actually about to do. "_They'll wanna hang me for this_" he thought, and he slowly opened the door. 

Inside was a dark smokey bar. The whole room was invaded with drunks and whores. This was the area of Queens that nobody even dared to visit. Ice walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. He began lighting a cigarette when he felt two hands glide across his chest. Ice turned around to see a skinny redhead.

"Ruby! Doll…what's shakin?" Ice asked. "Last time I'se saw you you'se was in Brooklyn working with some of Conlon's boys."

Ruby jumped onto Ice's lap and wrapped her hands around his neck. "Yeah…wasn't really workin out for me though. Had some trouble with one of Conlon's boys…didn't pay me enough. So I tied his hands and feet to the bed posts and wrapped his mouth up with a bandana and left him there. I left Brooklyn that night."

Ice laughed. "Ruby you were always a smart cookie."

Ruby held Ice's face in her hands and kissed him roughly. Ice had no resistance and pulled her closer to him. Finally Ruby broke the kiss for air. "Come on Icy. I miss workin with you. Why don't we go upstairs and I'll remind you of my services."

"Sorry Ruby" Ice said. "I came because I'se gots some business to take care of with Bruno."

Ruby looked at Ice questionably. "What are you plannin Ice? Everyone knows that people only come to talk to Bruno when they've got someone or something to take care of, and they're too scared to do it themselves. Who you getting back at now Ice?"

Ice lifted Ruby off his lap. "Let's just say an old friend knows somethin they shouldn't. It's my job to make sure that the information doesn't spread. Now, where's da famous Bruno?"

Ruby held her hand nervously in front of her chest. "He…he's upstairs in the last room on your right."

"Thanks doll." Ice grabbed her back and pulled her into another rough kiss. "I'm looking forward to you're services again" he said before walking up the stairs.

* * *

Upstairs the hall was very dark. A single bulb was the only thing keeping the hall from total darkness. Ice reached the last door on his right, and nervously knocked on the door. 

"Who the hell is it?!" someone yelled from inside.

Ice slowly opened the door to find Bruno sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette. "What do you'se want Ice!?" Bruno asked angrily.

With a smirk on his face Ice simply said "It's time Bruno…"

* * *

Hope woke up to Jack's arm draped over her side. She turned over on her side to look into Jack's face. She thought he looked unbelievable asleep or awake. She lightly moved a strand of hair away from his face, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. She watched him sleep for a few more minutes until Jack's eyes began to slowly flutter open. 

"Morning…" Hope said quietly.

"Mornin gorgeous" Jack said sweetly. He sat up and gave Hope a soft and gentle kiss. Hope wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I wish we could just stay like this forever Jack" Hope whispered.

Now was the time. Jack couldn't hold it off any longer. He stood up and walked to the end of the bed. He slowly lifted up the mattress and revealed the blue box he had once hidden. Hope stared at Jack. Not quite knowing what was about to happen. Jack walked nervously back over to Hope and kneeled on the floor on her side of the bed.

"Hope…" Jack said and he took Hope's hands into his. "I've been plannin for weeks on how to say this to ya, and well…when the time actually comes you find you're at a loss of words. All I know is that you're my one hope…the one thing that's keepin me goin in life, and you've changed that life for the better, Hope. No words could describe how much I love ya, but maybe…just maybe this ring will show it." Jack opened the box to reveal the stunning ring. Hope looked at Jack is shock with tears in her eyes. She felt so blessed to have someone like Jack, and she never thought something this good would last.

"So…I guess what I'm tryin to say is…Hope…will you marry me?"

Hope threw her arms around Jack and cried. "Of course! Of course I will!" She firmly connected her lips to Jack's and Jack took the ring out of the box.

"I will always love ya Hope. Until my dying day, and after" Jack said with a shaky voice, and he slipped the ring onto Hope's finger.

Hope looked at her hand and admired the beauty of the ring. "Promise me though Jack…."she said. "That you're dying day won't be for a long time. Promise me you'll always be with me. Promise me." Hope wrapped her arms around Jack and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I promise ya Hope…I promise ya…."


	4. His Dying Day

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah!!!! No more writer's block for me! Hurray!!!

**Sparks Kelly: Thanks so much again for reviewing! Just as you asked...yeah someone is going to die. It's really sad yeah, but if someone didn't die, then the story couldn't continue. Anyhoo...it also was great talkin to ya the other day! Dancer's rock! **

So yeah...I really REALLY would like to know what you all think about my story!!! Please review so I know what to do or what not to do in future stories! Hope you all in enjoy!

Luv ya all!  
Lissie/Hope/readallaboutitgoil

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Jack, Blink, Racetrack, or Mush (too bad though...) but I do own Hope and Ice. ENJOY! (and PLEASE REVIEW!)

* * *

_"So…I guess what I'm tryin to say is…Hope…will you marry me?"_

_Hope threw her arms around Jack and cried. "Of course! Of course I will!" She firmly connected her lips to Jack's and Jack took the ring out of the box._

_"I will always love ya Hope. Until my dying day, and after" Jack said with a shaky voice, and he slipped the ring onto Hope's finger._

_Hope looked at her hand and admired the beauty of the ring. "Promise me though Jack…."she said. "That you're dying day won't be for a long time. Promise me you'll always be with me. Promise me." Hope wrapped her arms around Jack and he pulled her into a tight embrace._

_"I promise ya Hope…I promise ya…."

* * *

_

Hope had her head resting on Jack's shoulder and she was crying quiet tears of joy. She had never been more happy in her life and she never thought she could be happier. She looked up at Jack's face and placed a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. "Thank you" she said. "Thank you for making me so happy Jack."

"Anything for you, doll" he said as he returned her kiss. "How's about we keep this on the low though for a little while. You know…until we're sure about things."

Hope looked at Jack confused. "Why is it a secret? People already know we're together why would this be so strange?"

Jack looked into Hope's eyes. She could sense the fear in his eyes, and it hurt her deeply. "Jack…"she quietly started. "If you're not ready for this then I don't mind…"

"No! That's not it!" he cut her off. "I just don't want certain people to know, for your sake and mine."

Hope felt the tears welling up inside her eyes again, but this time they were not of joy. They were filled with pain and confusion. "Jack…I don't understand" she said. "I want people to know about our love, and I don't feel it's right to keep a secret like this from our friends."

Jack didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell everyone as much as Hope did. He couldn't be more proud that we was going to marry Hope, but he still had to remember what had been discussed the night before. The terrible truth about his so-called friend Ice. Jack didn't want Ice to know about the engagement. He wanted Ice long gone before the truth about everything came out. He could only imagine what would happen if Ice found out.

Jack took Hope's tear streaked face into his hands and said. "As soon as Ice is gone, the truth can come out. You can tell Pullitzer himself to write a whole article on the front page if you want about us being engaged…but just wait until Ice is gone. I don't know…I just have a bad feeling that's he'd do something drastic if he found out. I don't know why…I just do. So for us Hope? Can you keep a secret of love for us?"

Hope decided it was best to just go with what Jack was saying. She trusted him and he trusted her. She knew in her heart that Jack was only doing what was best for the both of them. She hugged him tight and kissed him once more.

Jack hated to do this to Hope, but he knew of a way to make it up to her. "Hey…how's about you and me go see Medda tonight at the Irving Hall? You can call it a "secret" secret engagement celebration. Just the two of us. Whadda ya say?" Jack held Hope's hands in his waiting for an answer.

Hope stared at Jack's hands holding hers. She hated the thought of their love being a secret, but she simply said "Ok…I trust you Jack on your decision. What time should I be ready?"

"Seven o'clock" he said with a boyish grin.

"Ok…seven it is then" Hope said with a fake smile. She watched Jack smile at her as he walked out the door. Hope couldn't help it, but she had a terrible feeling…

* * *

Hope had just finished cleaning herself up for her outing with Jack that night. She put on a beautiful violet dress with a wide crème ribbon around the waist. She had a couple of violet clips in her long and wavy chestnut brown hair. The violet of the clips matched the violet of the dress. To finish everything off Hope slid a simple pearl necklace around her neck. It laid softly on top of the dress. The pearls had been her great-grandmother's who passed them down to her grandmother, and then her mother, and now they had finally found their way to her.

Hope walked over to the end of the bed and put on her black button up shoes. Once she was done, she walked slowly over to the large mirror. She looked herself up and down a few times making sure she looked perfect for Jack. She glanced down again at her ring…her simple yet gorgeous ring. She looked at herself in the mirror again, thinking about the ring on her finger. She felt complete with it on, like it had been missing for a long time. She felt happy and content, and yet…something was wrong. Why was she so nervous? She shook her head trying to forget about the bad feelings. "Get a grip Hope. You and Jack are finally engaged. Your life is going to be perfect from now on" and with that she grabbed her purse and walked out the door to meet Jack.

* * *

"Hahaha…oh Hope. You and Jack should really think about what you're saying…even when you're not in public. Someone could be just sittin right outside your window listening to everything…everything about certain little secret engagements. I give you two my blessings…not that it makes a difference" a cold voice said right outside of Jack and Hope's bedroom window.

* * *

Hope walked down the hall and she saw Jack waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. His facial expressions looked as though it was the first time he saw her. Hope let out a small laugh as she held out her hand when she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Hello Mr. Kelly. Are you ready to escort me to our secret outing?"

Jack took her hand and kissed it softly. He stood up straight and tried to act as proper as he could. "Why yes Mrs. Kelly. Right this way." He held out his arm for Hope to take, and she let out another small laugh and took his arm gratefully. "I must say Mrs. Kelly you look ravishing tonight!"

Hope gave Jack a smile and said "Don't look so bad yourself Jack."

Jack leaned forward and kissed Hope softly, unaware of the eyes looking in through the window at them.

"We better get going or we'll miss the show!" Jack said with a smile. Jack opened the door for Hope and they both walked down the street towards Irving Hall.

* * *

Hope and Jack walked out of Irving Hall with smiles on their faces. "We should have more secret celebrations more often Jack! Tonight was wonderful" she said as she held Jack's hand. The show had consisted of a special pre-ordered dinner by Jack and a wonderful performance by Medda. Her usual "High Times, Hard Times" song had been a favorite by the audience.

Jack nodded in agreement with a smile on his face. The more they walked the more their conversations began to fade, and Hope noticed how Jack's expression had gone from happy to extremely serious. It was unbelievably cold outside and the snow began softly falling.

"Jack…Jack what's wrong?"

Jack shook his head. "N…nothing. I just feel like someone is following us or something bad is gonna happen. Do you?"

Hope look startled. She had felt that same way right before they had left the Lodging House, but it had been completely forgotten with all the fun they had had at Irving Hall.

"Don't worry about it Jack. I'm sure we're fine" although she felt just as unsure as Jack did.

Jack stopped walking and held tightly onto Hope's hand. He pulled her close to him until their faces were mere inches away from each other. Hope closed the space between them with a kiss. They no longer could feel the cold of the winter weather that surrounded them. Jack broke the kiss for air and held onto Hope's face. Her eye's looked just like big stars in a midnight sky.

"I will love you Hope, until my dying day and after."

Hope couldn't be happier that Jack loved her so much but she became upset when he talked about his dying day. "Jack I love you so much too, but can't you just say that to me? Don't talk about your dying day. It's not going to be for a long LONG time. Ok Jack?"

"Ok…ok…No more "dying day" talk. I promise."

"Thank you Jack" Hope said and she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck to hold him close to her.

They began walking down the street again, when they heard soft footsteps closely behind them. Jack turned his head around to see who it was, but surprisingly no one was there. Jack just shrugged it off and continued walking with Hope. They were almost to the Lodging House when someone ripped Hope from his hands, and ran down the street with her. Jack whipped around to see where the dark figure was going and he chased after them. He found Hope pushed up against a wall in a dark cold alley with the dark figure holding her neck. "Hey Jacky-Boy" the dark figure said. "I guess you've finally figured out the real me. Ice…I guess you could say me name does speak for me heart." Ice pushed Hope to the ground and began slowly walking towards Jack. "Oh yeah…how rude of me Cowboy! I almost forgot to say congrats to you and your future Mrs. Too bad I won't be able to attend, because guess what? There ain't gonna be no wedding."

"What the hell ya talkin about Ice?" Jack angrily asked. His hands began forming fists and his temper began to rise.

Ice leaned against the cold brick wall. "Well it's quite funny Cowboy. I loved your little "until my dying day" shit that you keep telling Hope here. Ha! Who would eva think that that day would be today?"

Jack just stared at Ice. What was he planning to do. He now had no idea what he was capable of doing. He had no idea how cruel he had been to Hope, and now Ice was going to kill him, but he couldn't leave Hope there.

"Ice…"Jack said with a shaky voice. "You can have whateva you want. You can have the whole reign of Manhattan if that's what you want, but just don't hurt Hope. Please just give me Hope and we'll leave you alone, and you'll leave us alone!"

"Hmmm…I don't think I can do that Jack. You see, that would be the easy thing to do. Just take the reign of the Manhattan newsies and let you and Hope go on your merry little way and get married and live happily eva afta…but I can't do that. I gotta make sure you don't share who I really am with the public. Gotta make sure you won't go straight to the bulls after I let ya go. So yes Jack, I'll take that reign, but you won't be here to see me take it, and you won't be here to see me take your only Hope." Ice reached down to the ground and tightly grabbed ahold of Hope's wrist. "Anything you wanna say to Hope before…"

"Ice…you lay another finger on Hope, and I swear to…"

"Oooo Jacky-boy. I don't think ya wanna be swearing ta God right before I send ya to him. So see ya Cowboy!"

Jack heard a shot and he was thrown to the cold snow covered ground. He saw Ice and another dark figure run down the street and Jack chased after them as far as he could. They disappeared into another dark alley, and Jack just turned around to go find Hope.

"Hope…"Jack started. "Hope are you alr…"

Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was Hope, and there was him. Jack saw the whole front of his shirt and one of Hope's sleeved was covered in Jack's blood.

"Nooooo…"Hope sobbed. "Come on Jack. Come on! You promised me, Jack!" She stopped talking for a minute to take a breath between sobs. "Please!!!" she yelled. "Please…somebody help us!!" Jack looked outside of the alley and he saw Blink, Mush, and Racetrack running down the streets.

"Come on" Blink said. "I think I heard it come from down here."

The three boys reached the alley to discover Jack's lifeless body in Hope's arm.

"Oh my God! Jack!" Mush yelled, and the boys ran towards him and Hope.

Jack stood in the middle of the alley. "You guys! Come on! I'm right here! What's goin…" All three of the boys easily ran through him, as if he wasn't even there. Jack shook with fear. He ran towards Hope and tried to hold her hand, but his hand just went right through hers. "Come on Hope! You guys! What's going on?!"

"Jack! Jack, come on man! Wake up!" Blink yelled.

"Come on Jack! Don't do this!" Racetrack cried.

"Jack…"Hope whimpered. "Come on Jack! Please…please wake up Jack! You promised me! You promised me Jack! Come on…Jack please!!"

Mush wrapped his arms around Hope and held her close. Racetrack and Blink quickly picked up Jack and rushed him to the nearest hospital. They knew they didn't have much of a chance, but they couldn't just give up on Jack.

Jack stood in the alley and watched all of them rushing down the street. Mush holding onto Hope, and Blink and Racetrack carrying him.

Jack just stared in disbelief. What was going on? How could he be there and here? Why had he been shot? Who had shot him? Without a second thought Jack ran down the street following Hope, Mush, Blink, and Racetrack to the hospital.

* * *

**P.S. Please Review!**


	5. An internal wound

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**OMG! How long could it take me to update a story? Well anyways it's here now...Yeah!

Haha! Ok so this is old new for some of you, but like a week ago in my physics class, I was listening to my **Newsies** soundtrack, and I had been listening to "King of New York." So then we had to do this experiment where we stood on tables and dropped things like marbles and paper,etc. So anyhoo...I got up on the table and totally started tap-dancing the ontop of the table like in "King of New York"! Haha...yeah I'm a dork. So what! It was the major highlight of my day!

Ok back to my story....YEAH! I have two new reviewers!!

**Sparks Kelly:** Haha! Please don't send Spot or Race to soak me! I told ya I promised ya on the life of the love of my life, Jacky-boy, that I would have my story updated, and HERE IT IS!!! Haha...you didn't really think I'd let Jack die twice, would ya? Haha and I still say ya got a better life, and I'm gonna prove it to ya...someday. Haha! It's been great talkin to ya! Hopefully talk to ya again soon!

**ilovecherries123:** Ok...so I know you didn't sign my review with this name, but hey! It's your penname and I think other people should know it too. Hehe. So yeah I thought about "Unchained Melody" when I wrote this story and almostlost it! It's so sad! But I hope ya enjoy anyways! And you're right...we SO need to get together soon! Okie dokie talk to ya later!!

**malehopelessromantic:** Same thing here...I know ya didn't sign my review with this name, but like our good friend **ilovecherries123** I thought people should know what your penname was. So...yeah! Loved your story about Les. It's soooo cute! Oh pleeeaaaassseee tell me the guy with the cowboy hat is Jack! PLEASE!! haha! Talk to ya later!

Ok so now I'm gonna let ya guys read me story that I FINALLY updated! Enjoy!

Carryin Da Banner & luv ya all!

Lissie/Jack/Jacky-boy/Cowboy/Hope/read-all-about-itgoil/whatever you wanna call me!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Jack (Sob!!!) (maybe someday...) and I don't own any of the other Newsie characters such as Blink, Mush, Race, Spot, etc. I do however own Hope and Ice. ENJOY!

* * *

_Previously..._

_The three boys reached the alley to discover Jack's lifeless body in Hope's arm._

"_Oh my God! Jack!" Mush yelled, and the boys ran towards him and Hope. _

_Jack stood in the middle of the alley. "You guys! Come on! I'm right here! What's goin…" All three of the boys easily ran through him, as if he wasn't even there. Jack shook with fear. He ran towards Hope and tried to hold her hand, but his hand just went right through hers. "Come on Hope! You guys! What's going on?!"_

"_Jack! Jack, come on man! Wake up!" Blink yelled. _

"_Come on Jack! Don't do this!" Racetrack cried._

"_Jack…"Hope whimpered. "Come on Jack! Please…please wake up Jack! You promised me! You promised me Jack! Come on…Jack please!!"_

_Mush wrapped his arms around Hope and held her close. Racetrack and Blink quickly picked up Jack and rushed him to the nearest hospital. They knew they didn't have much of a chance, but they couldn't just give up on Jack._

_Jack stood in the alley and watched all of them rushing down the street. Mush holding onto Hope, and Blink and Racetrack carrying him._

_Jack just stared in disbelief. What was going on? How could he be there and here? Why had he been shot? Who had shot him? Without a second thought Jack ran down the street following Hope, Mush, Blink, and Racetrack to the hospital.

* * *

_

Jack had made it halfway down the street when he noticed Hope and his friends fading away. Everything was becoming light as if the summer sun was shining upon him and not the dark cold winter sky.

"Wha…what the…" Jack stammered. "I can't be dying…I can't! I'm engaged now and I promised Hope I wou…"

Jack's thoughts were cut off when he noticed himself no longer in the middle of the snow covered streets but inside a brightly lit hospital. It was as if he had flown there. He couldn't figure it out or comprehend anything that was going around him. He walked down a few equally lit halls before he saw Hope sitting in a chair nearby with Mush's arms still wrapped tightly around her. She looked as white as the snow and all the light had been drained from her eyes. Mush could do nothing but hold Hope and stare at the ground. Jack thought he saw a few tears slowly drip to the ground. Blink leaned against a door frame with his face buried in his arm. His shoulders were shaking uncontrollably and Jack could tell he was sobbing as well. Racetrack was crouching down in a corner of the wall, staring off into a deep space. He wouldn't cry, or speak to anyone he just looked as though he was simply frozen.

"This can't be happening!" Jack frantically thought. He just stood there watching his friends in agony, but nothing hurt him more than to see Hope in pain. How could he do this to her? He promised her he would be there. He couldn't be dead…he just couldn't be!

A man in a long white coat was slowly walking down the hall towards them. His eyes were filled with pain and sadness as he approached Hope, Mush, Blink, and Race.

Hope slowly stood up as the doctor came towards her. She felt as though her knees were about to give under her at any second. She didn't want to hear what the doctor was going to say. "My dear…"he said slowly. "I'm afraid he was long gone before you even brought him in. We did all that we could but I'm afraid it wasn't enough to save him. I'm so sorry." The doctor's eyes began to tear as he gave Hope a gentle hug and walked back down the hall.

Hope stood there with the same frozen look on her face that Race had had. Her body began to shake and she dropped to her knees as she let out a tearful scream. Blink lunged towards her and picked her up from the ground. Race and Mush soon joined them as they were all crying and they all held on to each other for comfort.

"He promised me!" Hope screamed with tears staining her cheeks. "We…we were…goin…going to get.."

"Hope, sweetie…there was nothing that could have been done" Race said with fresh tears running down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms gently around Hope's shoulders and held her close. Blink still had his hands on her arms for extra support. She was consistently gasping for air between sobs. Jack stood there in horror as he watched Blink, Mush, and Race lead Hope outside of the hospital. He had never seen his friends like this before. They had always been a strong group. Not much could make them break down, not even for Mush, and now here they were as their world seemed to have shattered before their eyes.

"Hope…Hope!" Jack yelled at the top of his lungs. He ran after her and desperately tried to hold her in his arms. He couldn't even touch her. He went right through her body as if he was some kind of….ghost! "No…no way! This ain't happenin! I've gotta get married and have a family and live the rest of my life!!!" He began to sob as he ran outside of the hospital doors. The snow began to fall again and Jack punched his fist into a brick wall. Yet again, his fist unbelievably went right through the wall. Feeling weaker than he had ever felt in his life, Jack dropped to his knees in the cold snow and sobbed. He felt as if he had betrayed Hope. How could he have broken his promise to her? His felt his soul being ripped apart and the pain was greater then anything he could ever imagine. He couldn't even feel the fresh tears or the snow that was falling upon him that cold winter night. Jack had been known to complain when it snowed in New York, but he wanted nothing more than to feel every snowflake on his cheeks that night.

All of a sudden, the familiar bright light began to shine in Jack's eyes again. He found himself no longer in the middle of the streets. Jack couldn't recognize where he was and he began to walk around the bare area. He felt himself lose his balance as he tripped over something in the ground, and fell flat on his face. He looked behind him to see what it was he tripped on and just stared at the snow covered ground with terror in his eyes…a tombstone. "This can't be happenin…this can't be happenin…" He kept repeating that to himself. He even thought he must have been dreaming and began to pinch his own arm. "Come on Jacky-Boy…time to wake up…time to wake up!!!!" Nothing. He remained standing in the cold cemetery alone.

He heard a man's voice in the distance and decided to follow it. He came across a large hill with a very large group of people standing together. All in black, and they all lookedso foreign to him. Jack started walking up the hill when he spotted Mush, Blink, Race, and all his other newsie friends. They all looked like they hadn't slept in months. Each one of them presenting large dark rings under their eyes. Jack also noticed Kloppman, and Dentin, Spot and almost all of Brooklyn, and…Hope. She looked unrecognizable. She was wearing a long black dress, and her dark hair was pulled up into a tight bun. The color of her face still resembled that of the snow. The color she had been the night of Jack's death.

"And so we say goodbye Jack Kelly. May you rest in peace..." the priest said. Jack quickly set his gaze upon Hope whose shoulders began to slump down lower and lower in her despair. The large crowd of people one by one threw a flower into the newly dug hole in the ground. Hope just stood there and stared blankly into the hole in the ground as one by one, a person came to show their respects. The crowd began to dissolve and all that remained was Hope, Blink, Mush, and Race. They were the only ones that knew. Knew what it had been like that night. Slowly the three boys walked up behind Hope and Mush slowly placed his hand on Hope's shoulder.

Completely startled, Hope whipped around to face the boys who had stuck with her during it all. They all looked like they had aged ten or more years. Hope began to feel herself tear apart again as she threw herself at Mush. She sobbed into his shoulder as the other two boys quickly joined them in their embrace.

"I…I think…I think I need to stay here…fo…for a little while" Hope weakly said in between sobs. Blink, Race, and Mush knew that they couldn't push her at this time. She needed time to heal her internal wounds. This was a cut deep inside her heart that was not going to go away over night. The boys simply nodded and each of them gave her one last hug before walking away.

Hope walked back towards Jack's grave. She sat on the cold snow above the grave and looked down into it. She didn't care if she was getting her dress wet.

Jack saw Hope sitting alone by his grave. He ran over there as fast as he could. He knelt down next to her and desperately tried to hold her hand. No matter how many times he tried, his hand would continually run right straight through her hand. Jack knew fresh tears were falling from his eyes, but he still could not feel them. He couldn't feel anything.

"Jack?" Hope weakly mumbled. Jack whipped his head in Hope's direction. Was she actually trying to talk to him? "Jack…please come back. Why did you leave Jack?...You promised me…YOU PROMISED ME!" Hope's head hung low and she buried her face in her hands. She felt lost and helpless.

"Hope!" Jack yelled. "Hope I'm here…baby I'm still here! Can't ya see me? Come on Hope! I know I promised ya! Come on Hope…Come on!"

No matter what Jack did, Hope was still completely oblivious to Jack's spirit trying to comfort her.

"Well…well. I love da snow. How bout you gorgeous?"

Hope slowly turned her head around in fear. There he was again. She quickly stood up from the ground and began to run as fast as she could. The combination of her heels and the snow did not make her go very fast. Ice caught up to her rather quickly. He grabbed both her arms and held on to them firmly. Hope could already feel the bruises beginning to appear on her arms.

"Listen doll…" Ice began. "Nobody knows it was me and me boy Bruno, but you and that frozen corpse in da ground there…"

"How dare you talk about Jack like that!" Hope cried. She was able to free one of her arms and slap Ice roughly across the face. A scarlet handprint slowly began forming on his face.

"Listen little bitch…"Ice said with his firm gripstill tight on her other arm. "According to Jacky-boy's will, since I was his right hand man, I'm officially da new leada of da Manhattan newsies." Ice grabbed Hope's other arm again and pressed his face mere inches away from hers. "If you do anything to ruin dat, I'll make sure you are in dat hole with Jack. So be a good little girl and do as you'se told. Got it?"

Hope's tear streaked face nodded slowly. Ice gave her a small smirk before throwing her into the snow. "See ya back at da lodging house…sweetie" he called over his shoulder.

Hope lay there in the snow for a few moments before picking herself back up. She continued to sob as she softly whispered to herself "Jack…please help me Jack!"


	6. Another promise to Hope

**AUTHOR'S NOTE...**

Hey everyone! Ok so not much is new...except for this chapter, but hey! I got another reviewer!!! Woo Hoo!!! So now here's my shoutouts to all my lovely reviewers!

**Chocolates:** Yeah! Thanks for reviewing my story! I know this story is soooo sad. Trust me sometimes I have a hard time writing it because Jacky-boy is me FAVORITE and I hate to kill him off in a story! :( But as to your request I'm going to do all that I can to see that him and Hope are reunited. I don't know how at the moment...but I'm sure I'll think of something!

**Sparks Kelly:** Goil...you rock!!!! Thanks for being a great and continual reviewer!!! I agree with you though. I think Race, Blink, and Mush should all find out about what and $$ Ice is and SOAK HIM! But then that might not leave much more for me to write in later chapters, so maybe that will come up in a later chapter. THANKS AGAIN!!!!! :)

So yes...now that I'm done giving praise and glory to my reviewers I think it's time for all of you to read Chapter #6!!! (Something tells me I'm gonna have a lot of chapters in this story...oh well!) So please ENJOY and continue REVIEWING!

Luv to ya all & Carryin da Banner!  
Alyssa/Lissie/Hope/Jacky-boy/RG/readallaboutitgoil/whatever!!!! (hehe)

**DISCLAIMER...**

Sadly enough I do not own Jack (someday I will...) or Mush, Blink, or Race. I do however own Hope and Ice. I also don't own the story outline of _"Ghost" _or the small snippet of the song _"On My Own" _fromt the musical _"Les Miserables"_. ENJOY!!!!

* * *

_**Previously...**_

_**"Listen little bitch…"Ice said with his firm grip still tight on her other arm. "According to Jacky-boy's will, since I was his right hand man, I'm officially da new leada of da Manhattan newsies." Ice grabbed Hope's other arm again and pressed his face mere inches away from hers. "If you do anything to ruin dat, I'll make sure you are in dat hole with Jack. So be a good little girl and do as you'se told. Got it?"**_

_**Hope's tear streaked face nodded slowly. Ice gave her a small smirk before throwing her into the snow. "See ya back at da lodging house…sweetie" he called over his shoulder.**_

_**Hope lay there in the snow for a few moments before picking herself back up. She continued to sob as she softly whispered to herself "Jack…please help me Jack!"**

* * *

_

"Hope!" Jack cried. "Hope baby I'm here! Why can't you feel me? Why can't you see me?"

No matter how many times Jack attempted to hold her hands or wrap his arms around her, he could in no way feel Hope, and she couldn't feel him.

Jack watched as Hope wearily walked towards the cold metal gate of the cemetery. With one final look at Jack's grave she simply said "I'll be back to see you Jack." The tears began to fall faster down her cold cheeks. "I…I lo…love you…"

Jack looked down into the dark hole in the ground that now contained his body. His thoughts were completely broken at the sound of Ice's voice.

"Well…time for a little heart-to-heart chat, eh Jack? But this time you're just gonna shut up and listen to what I got's to say!"

"Why are you doing this, Ice?!" Jack yelled at the top of his lungs. It made no difference. Ice couldn't hear him. "Why did you ruin my life?! Why did you ruin Hope's life?!"

Ice slowly walked in circles around Jack's grave. "So…what to do, what to do? Hope's pretty crushed about all dis, Jack, and I'm thinking of taking back everything that is rightfully mine. Hope always belonged to me whether you liked it or not." He paused for a moment and stopped right in front of the grave and stared off into the distance. "You know, Jacky-boy, she lost her voigenity to me. Ha…maybe not the way she would have wanted to…"

Jack's whole mind was filling with anger and rage as he lunged himself towards Ice, forgetting he was still a ghost, but he was surprised to feel himself hit Ice's stomach and knock him to the ground. Ice picked himself quickly off the ground in a panic. Fear overflowed in his eyes. He looked all around the cemetery but saw no one.

"Jack!" Ice yelled. "I swear ta God I'll kill her, Jack! I'll have me boy Bruno kill her like I had him kill you if this haunting shit keeps up!" He slowly walked backwards towards the gate stumbling along the way. His eyes never left Jack's grave until he was all the way on the outside of the gate.

Jack sat there in the snow in shock. Why had he been able to attack Ice, but he couldn't hold or feel Hope. He let his head hand low as more tears ran down his cheeks. "Hope…"he cried. "I'm so sorry…but how can I help you…when I can't even help myself?"

* * *

Hope walked down the snowy streets of Manhattan alone. She didn't want anyone with her except Jack. She saw no one else on the streets. Everything was empty and cold…the way her heart felt. Every other minute she thought she would see Jack in an alley or standing right beside her, but whenever she went to look at him he was never there. He would never be there again.

"I'm on my own just pretending he's beside. I'll always walk alone from now on. Even though you're not here Jack, I still feel your arms tightly wrapped around me, and whenever I feel like I've lost my way in life, I close my eyes and you always finds me. I'm never lost with you around Jack."

Hope reached the lodging house a little while later. When she opened the door she was surprised to see every single guest who had attended Jack's funeral. The whole room had gone dead silent as Hope walked into the room. She didn't look up at anyone. She simply walked up the stairs to Jack's room, and locked herself in there.

Hope looked around the warm room that belonged to Jack.She would never get rid of any ofhis possessions. They were apart of what kept her holding on to him.

She took off her shawl and let it drop to the floor. She didn't care. She walked over to the bed and gently sat upon it, and she held herself tightly as she slowly laid herself down on top of the bed. Her face became buried in a pillow, and the memories flooded in. The pillow…it smelled like him. She could still feel his weight on top of the mattress. He was still completely there to her.

Hope examined her ring. She still had it on, and she would never take it off. It was the most precious gift Jack had given to her. She slowly turned her hand to watch it sparkle, but it's light and sparkle had somehow faded away. It now just appeared to be a cloudy stone. As she continually turned her hand to look at the ring she noticed something she hadn't before. On the back of the ring engraved were the words "Until My Dying Day." Hope looked at it in shock. She had never seen this writing until now. At that moment everything shut down. Hope's whole world had collapsed and there was nothing to rebuild it. Jack had promised her that he would be with her, and that his dying day wouldn't be for a long time. Jack had broken that promise to her. She hated Jack for leaving her. She hated Ice for raping her. She hated him for killing Jack. She hated everyone even if she didn't have a reason. She felt like she didn't need a reason.

Hope yet again buried her face into the pillow and sobbed as she screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

_**Meanwhile...**_

Ice appeared about two hours later at the lodging house. All of the mourners had departed with the exception of Mush, Blink, and Racetrack.

"Finally here ta show ya respects ya Bum!" Racetrack yelled at Ice.

"Yeah Ice. I mean…you'se was Jack's right hand man. Why weren't ya at the funeral" Mush asked calmly.

Ice pasted a look of sorrow on his face as he buried his face in his hands. "I'se so sorry fellas, but you know how close me and Jack were? I…I just couldn't handle seeing him be put in the ground. He was me best friend."

Blink and Mush looked up at Ice with sympathy, but Racetrack sat in his chair with his arms folded in front of him. He had a look of disgust on his face. "Whatever…" he mumbled.

"Do ya wanna here what Jack left ya in his will?" Blink asked. "We already read it to everyone else who was here before."

"Yeah" Ice stammered. "Although…I don't feel right taking anything from Jack. His friendship was the best thing he could have given me. God I wish he was still here!"

Blink stared at the paper that contained the information about Jack's will. His mouth dropped before he started to read. "Ice…you…you got Manhattan. As Jack's right hand man you now have the reign over Manhattan."

"Who woulda ever thought?" Race said smugly.

"Woah…"Ice said acting like it was too much to take in. "I…I would be honored to be the leader of Manhattan boys, but me minds gotta empty right now. I just gotta think about stuff." With that he turned and walked up the stairs to his room.

Racetrack looked over his shoulder to make sure Ice was clearly out of sight. He started to laugh. "Too bad his minds already empty the dumbass."

* * *

**_Later on in Jack's room..._**

Hope had fallen fast asleep. She didn't even bother changing out of her mourning dress. She didn't care.

Jack was sitting in his favorite chair in his room simply watching her sleep. He had somehow teleported over to the Lodging House that night. He thought it was perhaps because Hope needed him.

"If only there was some way…" Jack said to himself. "Some way I could talk to Hope so she could hear me." Jack had heard about some of the local fortune tellers and gypsies who lived in New York who could apparently communicate with the dead. Jack had never believed in such things until now. "What have I got to lose…"

"Jack!"

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Hope moaning out Jack's name. He smiled to himself. How he missed it. His smile faded away at the thought of never having those simple pleasures with the love of his life ever again.

He walked over to the side of the bed that Hope was laying on and knelt down beside her. Oh…how he wanted to touch her. To feel her soft skin against his fingertips. Hope had a small strand of hair covering her face. Not thinking…Jack went to move the strand of hair, and miraculously he was able to move the strand off her face. He couldn't feel it, but he saw his hand move the strand of hair. Jack sighed and sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. "Hope…I know you can't here me now, but I'm so sorry baby! I'm so sorry for what I've done. I promise you though I will do whatever I can to see you again. I ain't breakin this promise this time. I told you I'd love you until my dying day and after, and I meant it. Goodnight Hope…I love you."

And with that he let his tears fall and he watched Hope sleep peacefully.


End file.
